Improvement in steam-brakes for railway-cars



y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

`NILSNILSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WILLIAM W. MCNAIR, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-BRAKES FoR RuLwAv-cARs.

Specification forming part oin Letters Patent No. 144,410, dated November 11, 1873; application filed December 17, 1872.

To all whom t may concern:

`Be it known that I, NILS NILSON, of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin, in the State of Minnesota, have made certain Improvements in Steam-Brakes for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a speciiication:

The object of this invention is to produce a simple, cheap, and easilyconstructed steam or air brake, and the means for connecting or disconnecting the brakes on all the dierent cars of a train with a steam-pipe of a locomotive; and it consists in the construction of the devices whereby the object of this invention is attained, as will more fully herein after be described.

1n the4 drawings, Figure l is a side view of the floor of a car', trucks, and steam-cylinders, and pipes; Fig. 2, a bottom view of the car; and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 details of parts. Fig. 6 represents some of the details of Fig. 4 enlarged.

A represents the floor of the car, under which and attached thereto are the usual trucks. B and Bl are steam-cylinders, rmly attached to the under side of the framing of floor AJby `means of brackets and braces. Cylinder B' is smaller than cylinder B, and is located above it, and receives the steam therein through steam-pipe c at a, that connects with the main pipe C, which conveys steam to all the cylindersunder the" several cars of the train from the boiler of the locomotive at the will of the engineer, and the steam thus admitted acts upon the piston-head l of cylinder B', forcing it and. its piston-rod 'i back until piston-head l is past the steam-pipe g, that connects cylinder B to cylinder B, and admits steam into the lower cylinder B. At the outer end of piston-rod z' is a bent and slotted end, i', that, las the steam in the vcylinder Bl forces the piston-rodi out, takes hold of and acts upon pivoted lever b, and forces the end of said lever from the cylinder, while at the upper end of said lever b is attached a chain or rod that is fast to a sliding escape-valve, c, at the head of cylinderB, which action closes the escape-valve c, and the steam-chamber in the cylinder B will be iilled with steam, and force piston-head 2 and its rod D back, acting upon the pivoted bent lever f, which is connected at el to rod 4,

that pulls upon yoke 5, that is connected at one end to draw-rod 6, and in its center to rod 7 which is fast to the brake-bar 8, and forces the brakes 9 hard upon the car-wheels, and causes them to stop revolution. `The steampipe C has an elbow or curve at j, to give the pipe a right-angular direction, andto connect with pipe h in hollow enlarged coupling 1l/,in any secure manner. 7il is a short pipe,having a head, b, concentrically affixed thereon, and passes through a screw-nut, c', that has a screwthread on its periphery to screw into the coupling d', which coupling hasau enlarged opening at one end to receive the pipe h and its head b', and at its opposite end an opening, sufficiently large to allow pipe h to pass into it, when another pipe, g or f', may be placed in the extension of the coupling d', and secured there by any common means, such as a screwcoupling. A packing, o, of any suitable kind, such as rubber, is placed in the coupling, and on or against the shoulder o of the coupling, when the head b of pipe h will be forced by the screw-nut c hard against the packing o, and make the joint steam or air tight, while the pipe 7L may be easily turned in the coupling d. The steam or air is passed through pipe C, into and through pipe h in coupling d', into pipe g', where it goes into and through double joint I, by substantially coupling two joints, H, together by the swinging link e', that goes from one coupling, d', to the other, and secured to the elongated end X of said coupling d by such means as will allow` the joint I to vibrate by means of the link e when used to couple the two joints H together. The link e has a steam or air passage, a, longitudinally in it, and extending from the holes n' n', so as to communicate with the short pipes h in each coupling, and allow free passage for the steam or air through the joints H and I, and allow both a horizontal and longitudinal motion to the cars, and not disturb the joints, or cause them to leak steam or air.

Fig. 5 represents the coupling of the steampipe between the cars with the short steamcoupling pipes f approaching each other, the ends of which have a neck turned upon them, and a draw-head, c, of larger diameter than theneck, fastupon each of thepipesf. Around the neck of pipes f are Wheels a with screwsleeves af, upon which are screwed the coupF ling-hooks b, which, when united together by their hook ends and turning screw-sleeve wheels a toward the draw-head o, the hooks of the coupling Will be closely and rmly united, and the Whole train of cars When so coupled together Will be ready for the action of steam, through such coupling, to act upon all the brakes of the cars of the train. y

f is a coupling-pipe to be inserted into the ends of pipes j" at each coupling, and Will tend to keep the joint and coupling steady. h is a stop-plug, and is used to plug the end of pipe f' at the rear endof the hind car to prevent steam from escaping, and is held in its place by any sure means, and is of easy removal.

Having thus described myinventio11,wliat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

"stantially as and for the purpose described.

Witnesses:

Gnus. H.' Woons, ROBERT S. BRYANT.

N ILS NILSON. 

